Testimony Of Robert Edwin Edwards

The testimony of Robert Edwin Edwards was taken at 11 a.m., on April 9, 1964, in the office of the U.S. attorney, 301 Post Office Building, Bryan and ErvayStreets, Dallas, Tex., by Mr. David W. Belin, assistant counsel of thePresident's Commission.

Mr. BELIN - Would you stand and raise your right hand and 'be sworn, please. Do yousolemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give will be the truth, thewhole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mr. EDWARDS - I do.
Mr. BELIN - Your name, please?
Mr. EDWARDS - Robert Edwin Edwards.
Mr. BELIN - Where do you live, Mr. Edwards?
Mr. EDWARDS - Tahlequah, Okla.
Mr. BELIN - What do you do up there?
Mr. EDWARDS - I am going to school, college, Northeastern State College.
Mr. BELIN - What year of school are you in? Are you a freshman?
Mr. EDWARDS - No; I am a senior.
Mr. BELIN - You are a senior.
Mr. EDWARDS - Right.
Mr. BELIN - You have been going up to school there for several years?
Mr. EDWARDS - Two years I went there. I laid out last year and worked here in Dallas.
Mr. BELIN - Are you originally from Dallas?
Mr. EDWARDS - No; Graham, Tex.
Mr. BELIN - Where did you go to school?
Mr. EDWARDS - Graham High School in Graham, Tex.
Mr. BELIN - What did you do when you got out of school?
Mr. EDWARDS - I attended Abilene College.
Mr. BELIN - For a year?
Mr. EDWARDS - One year.
Mr. BELIN - Then what?
Mr. EDWARDS - Decatur Baptist College, which is a junior college.
Mr. BELIN - Then what did you do?
Mr. EDWARDS - Northeastern State College in Tahlequah, Okla.
Mr. BELIN - Laid out last year?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes; I am finishing up this semester.
Mr. BELIN - What did you do last fall?
Mr. EDWARDS - I worked at the courthouse there.
Mr. BELIN - Is that the Dallas County Courthouse?
Mr. EDWARDS - Right.
Mr. BELIN - Where is that located?
Mr. EDWARDS - Let's' say down on Main. I guess that would be sufficient.
Mr. BELIN - Main Street?
Mr. EDWARDS - Right.
Mr. BELIN - What street crosses there, do you remember?
Mr. EDWARDS - Well, you mean--give me a multiple choice and I will tell .you.
Mr. BELIN - Harwood?
Mr. EDWARDS - No.
Mr. BELIN - Record?
Mr. EDWARDS - Right.
Mr. BELIN - What about Elm? Houston Street?
Mr. EDWARDS - It runs right behind it, if I am not mistaken.
Mr. BELIN - Were you working on the day the President came to Dallas?
Mr. EDWARDS - That's correct.
Mr. BELIN - That was November 22, 1963, I believe on a Friday, is that correct?
Mr. EDWARDS - That's correct.
Mr. BELIN - Did you have lunch before the motorcade came by or not?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes; I did.
Mr. BELIN - Were you with anyone?
Mr. EDWARDS - Ronald Fischer.
Mr. BELIN - Ronald Fischer. Did he Work with you in that office?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes; he did.
Mr. BELIN - What were you doing there? By the way, what was your job?
Mr. EDWARDS - Just a utility clerk.
Mr. BELIN - What did you do after lunch?
Mr. EDWARDS - Came back and worked. I don't know exactly what time. For a little whileuntil it was time for the President to come by, and then we left.
Mr. BELIN - Where did you go?
Mr. EDWARDS - Sir?
Mr. BELIN - Where did you go? You say you left. Where did you go?
Mr. EDWARDS - You mean left the office?
Mr. BELIN - Yes.
Mr. EDWARDS - Down on--I get the streets mixed up. Let's see, it would be Houston.
Mr. BELIN - Houston?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes; I guess it would be Houston across the street in the little park rightacross from the courthouse, straight across from, facing the Depository.
Mr. BELIN - Well, let me ask you this now.
Mr. EDWARDS - That is Elm, I guess that is what it is. I guess that is Elm Street.
Mr. BELIN - When you used the word "Depository," what building do you mean?
Mr. EDWARDS - Texas School Book Depository.
Mr. BELIN - Texas School Book Depository Building?
Mr. EDWARDS - That building is at the corner of Elm and Houston, isn't it? Houston comesthis way?
Mr. BELIN - Well, Houston, I believe, runs in a north-south direction. Elm runs in aeast-west direction. Would a map help you at all?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes.
Mr. BELIN - Let me see if I can get one for you here.
I am handing you a portion of a map. You see Houston Street here on thismap?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes.
Mr. BELIN - And you see Elm Street running this way, and the arrow pointing north, soHouston runs north and south.
Mr. EDWARDS - Where do you put the courthouse?
Mr. BELIN - The courthouse would be off this strip of map, but that is Elm and here is Houston. This little black square would be the Texas School Book Depository Building.
Mr. EDWARDS - It would have to be Houston and Elm.
Mr. BELIN - Here is Elm going in the parkway here. Do you see that right there?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes.
Mr. BELIN - All right, Main Street would be running toward the bottom of the map?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes; it was here.
Mr. BELIN - You are putting your finger at the point which would be to the west ofHouston Street and to the south of Elm as it goes into the parkway, is thatright?
You see the arrow pointing northwest would be to your left on the map, and youare going to be west of Houston Street and south of Elm going in the parkway, is that correct?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes; I would be over here, right over here.
Mr. BELIN - Here is the parkway. Can you see it upside down here? Let's see if I canshow you a picture.
Mr. EDWARDS - I am sorry. I don't have a picture.
Mr. BELIN - Here is a map and on the map north .is shown with an arrow. You see it right here?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes.
Mr. BELIN - Mr. Edwards, have you now located yourself on this map?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes; I have.
Mr. BELIN - All right, where were you located?
Mr. EDWARDS - I guess I would plant myself right there.
Mr. BELIN - You are planting yourself now at a spot which would be on the west side of Houston Street near that entrance of Elm Street into the parkway there, and you would be facing in a northerly direction toward the School Book Depository Building, is that correct?
Mr. EDWARDS - That's correct.
Mr. BELIN - Who were you standing with?
Mr. EDWARDS - Ronald Fischer.
Mr. BELIN - What time did you get there?
Mr. EDWARDS - I don't know.
Mr. BELIN - How long before the motorcade came by, if you know?
Mr. EDWARDS - Where is that little paper and I will tell you.
Mr. BELIN - Can you remember without looking at any paper right now?
Mr. EDWARDS - No; not really. I can guess.
Mr. BELIN - What is your best guess? We will understand that it is just a-
Mr. EDWARDS - Maybe I'd better not guess.
Mr. BELIN - All right, if you don't care to guess, that is fine. We would prefer that you not make any statement unless you feel fairly sure about it. What did you do when you got to this point?
Mr. EDWARDS - Stood there and waited for the motorcade to come.
Mr. BELIN - Did you look around at all?
Mr. EDWARDS - Certainly.
Mr. BELIN - Did you ever take a look at the south side of the Texas School Book Depository Building? That would be facing--you would be looking at the south side of the building?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes.
Mr. BELIN - Did you ever look at that at all?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes.
Mr. BELIN - Before the motorcade came by?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes.
Mr. BELIN - What did you see?
Mr. EDWARDS - Nothing of importance except maybe one individual who was up there in thecorner room of the sixth floor which was crowded in among boxes.
Mr. BELIN - You say on the sixth floor?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes.
Mr. BELIN - What portion of the sixth floor as you looked at the building to your right or to your left?
Mr. EDWARDS - To my right.
Mr. BELIN - How near the corner?
Mr. EDWARDS - The corner window.
Mr. BELIN - The corner window there?
Mr. EDWARDS - Right
Mr. BELIN - Could you describe this individual at all? Was he a white man or a Negro?
Mr. EDWARDS - White man.
Mr. BELIN - Tall or short, if you know?
Mr. EDWARDS - I couldn't say.
Mr. BELIN - Did he have anything in his hand at all that you could see?
Mr. EDWARDS - No.
Mr. BELIN - Could you see his hands?
Mr. EDWARDS - I don't remember.
Mr. BELIN - What kind of clothes did he have on?
Mr. EDWARDS - Light colored shirt, short sleeve and open neck.
Mr. BELIN - How much of him could you see? Shoulder up, waist up, knees up, or what?
Mr. EDWARDS - From the waist on. From the abdomen or stomach up what,
Mr. BELIN - Was the man fat, thin, or average in size?
Mr. EDWARDS - Oh, about average. Possibly thin.
Mr. BELIN - Could you tell whether he was light skinned or medium skin or if you couldtell?
Mr. EDWARDS - No.
Mr. BELIN - Was the sun shining in or not, if you know?
Mr. EDWARDS - Don't know.
Mr. BELIN - Was the sun out that day?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes.
Mr. BELIN - What color hair did the man have?
Mr. EDWARDS - Light brown.
Mr. BELIN - Light brown hair?
Mr. EDWARDS - That is what I would say; yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN - Did you see any other people on the sixth floor?
Mr. EDWARDS - No.
Mr. BELIN - Did you notice whether or not there were any, or just did you look and see any?
Mr. EDWARDS - I notice that there---I just didn't see any.
Mr. BELIN - What about the next floor above? Did you see any people on the floor above?
Mr. EDWARDS - No.
Mr. BELIN - What about on any floors below? See any people on the fifth floor?
Mr. EDWARDS - No.
Mr. BELIN - Fourth floor?
Mr. EDWARDS - No.
Mr. BELIN - Third floor?
Mr. EDWARDS - Possibly.
Mr. BELIN - Second floor?
Mr. EDWARDS - I believe so.
Mr. BELIN - First floor?
Mr. EDWARDS - I don't know.
Mr. BELIN - All right, now, you signed an affidavit for the sheriff's department where you stated that you saw a man at the window on the fifth floor, and the window was wide open all the way, and there was a stack of books around him, I could see. And you just told me you didn't see a man on the fifth floor. Was that affidavit correct or not?
Mr. EDWARDS - That is incorrect. That has been straightened out since.
Mr. BELIN - What do you mean it has been straightened out?
Mr. EDWARDS - Well, they discussed it with me later and I took that back. That was the FBI. It was the sixth floor, though.
Mr. BELIN - How do you know it was the sixth floor? Sixth floor rather than the fifthfloor?
Mr. EDWARDS - I went with them and I showed them the window, and I didn't count the bottom floor.
Mr. BELIN - You mean the first time when you made the affidavit you didn't count thebottom floor?
Mr. EDWARDS - That's right.
Mr. BELIN - When you went out with the FBI, they asked you to point out the window?
Mr. EDWARDS - Right.
Mr. BELIN - And you pointed out the same window you saw on November 22?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN - The you weren't counting the bottom floor?
Mr. EDWARDS - They did.
Mr. BELIN - Did you watch them count?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes.
Mr. BELIN - Do you remember how many floors from the top it was?
Mr. EDWARDS - I think seven in all, seven floors. It is next to the top.
Mr. BELIN - Do you know whether or not the hair of the man was short, average, or long on the man that you saw in the window that day?
Mr. EDWARDS - Don't know.
Mr. BELIN - Now what conversation did you and Ronald Fischer have about this man, if anything? Do you remember what he said?
Mr. EDWARDS - I made a statement to Ronny that I wondered who he was hiding from since he was up there crowded in among the boxes, in a joking manner.
Mr. BELIN - You mean you said it in a joking manner?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes.
Mr. BELIN - What did Fischer say to you?
Mr. EDWARDS - I don't recall what he said, but I know that we said a few things. It wasn't of any importance at the time. And we looked up at him, both of us.
Mr. BELIN - How long did you look at him?
Mr. EDWARDS - Just a few seconds.
Mr. BELIN - Then what took your attention away, if any, or did you just start looking somewhere else?
Mr. EDWARDS - Started looking somewhere else.
Mr. BELIN - How long after that did the motorcade come by?
Mr. EDWARDS - Thirty seconds or a minute.
Mr. BELIN - Anything else that you can remember that you or Ronald Fischer
Mr. EDWARDS - No.
Mr. BELIN - Anything else you can think of that might be relevant at all?
Mr. EDWARDS - No.
Mr. BELIN - How many shots did you hear, if you remember?
Mr. EDWARDS - Well, I heard one more then than was fired, I believe.
Mr. BELIN - You mean you said on the affidavit you heard four shots?
Mr. EDWARDS - I still right now don't know how many was fired. If I said four, then I thought I heard four.
Mr. BELIN - If you said four, you mean the affidavit-maybe we'd better introduce it into the record as Edward's Deposition Exhibit A. Where do you think the shots came from?
Mr. EDWARDS - I have no idea.
Mr. BELIN - In the affidavit you stated that the shots seemed to come from the building there. Did you really say that or not?
Mr. EDWARDS - No; I didn't say that.
Mr. BELIN - All right, anything else you can think of?
Mr. EDWARDS - No.
Mr. BELIN - I want to thank you for coming down here. You have an opportunity, if you want, to come back and read this deposition and sign it, or else you can waive the signing and reading of it and it will be sent directly to Washington by the court reporter. It makes no difference to us. You can read and sign or can waive reading and signing.
Mr. EDWARDS - I don't want to make an extra trip.
Mr. BELIN - Do you want to waive it then?
Mr. EDWARDS - Yes.
Mr. BELIN - Thank you, sir.